Free Cooks Overboard by Joanne Pence Page A

hand, everything he said and did was in keeping with a man on vacation, a man who didn’t want other people’s troubles, issues, and strange behavior to interfere with his life.
    In other words, he wasn’t acting like a cop. Terrific. Wasn’t that exactly what she wanted? She’d always thought that was what she wanted. But now that she had it, she couldn’t say for sure that the new Paavo pleased her—especially when there was something strange happening on this ship. Not anything very serious, she supposed, but something, nonetheless.
    More than once her belongings had been handled, moved around a bit. Or so it had seemed. It couldn’t be her imagination, could it?
    Everything should be fine once they reached Acapulco and the beautiful villa she’d arranged for them to use while there.
    One of her father’s friends owned an ocean-side estate just a little south of Acapulco, and rarely used it. So she’d told her father all about her “Dining Out in Acapulco” magazine assignment, and then asked if he thought the villa might be available for a few days.
    “Stay a week, Angelina,” Sal had said. “A month. Longer if you want. There are lots of restaurants in Acapulco, you know.”
    Angie knew his motive. He wanted her far away from Paavo. Sal didn’t like the idea of his youngest daughter falling in love with a cop and hoped she would get over it quickly. He seemed to think a doctor or a lawyer—even a politician—would be a better choice for a husband. He’d find a way to free up the villa if he had to buy it himself.
    So she hadn’t told him Paavo would be joining her.
    Sal got her the villa.
    But thoughts of Acapulco weren’t helping her here and now. Suddenly a solution came to mind. Even if Paavo wouldn’t listen to her. Captain Olafson would.
    She quickly dressed and ran up to the pilot house to talk to him.
    First Mate Johansen was standing on the bridge, staring out at sea. He turned at her approach.
    “Excuse me,” she said. “I was looking for Captain Olafson.”
    “I’m sorry,” he replied. “The captain is indisposed. May I help you?” He showed Angie into his office and left the door open.
    She sat in the chair he indicated, and studied him as she tried to come up with a way to begin. “I came to alert you to something strange. A bug may have been placed in my room. A listening device, not an insect.”
    “A bug? ” Angie had the distinct feeling Johansen thought she was crazy. She was getting that reaction far too often to suit her. “May I see it?” he asked.
    “Your steward, Julio, took it away.”
    “I’ll ask him if he can retrieve it, then we can both determine exactly what it was.” Johansen stood. “I’m sorry if our accommodations are not what you expected, Miss Amalfi. We’ll do what we can to make the rest of your journey more pleasant.”
    Angie also stood. “By the way, how is Mr. Ingerson doing?
    “Sven Ingerson?” Johansen’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “I didn’t think a case of food poisoning would interest the passengers. We think that’s all that’s wrong with him. He was taken to the hospital. The paramedics took all the particulars about his home address and the company representatives that they should contact. Unfortunately, it isn’t unheard of for seamen to get sick or hurt and have to go to hospitals onshore. We have no sick bay on board, only first aid. It’s not as if the ship can wait for them to get better. We just sail on and do the best we can. I hope this doesn’t seem too unfeeling to you.”
    “Well, I suppose I understand your reasons.” There was nothing more to be said. “Thank you for your time.”
    “Have a pleasant voyage. Miss Amalfi,” Johansen said, almost as an afterthought.
     
    “I’d like to speak to one of your patients, Sven Ingerson, please,” the Hydra said into the telephone.
    “Ingerson…Ingerson,” the hospital receptionist repeated softly. “Oh, here he is. I’m sorry. He’s in intensive care